This invention relates generally to an apparatus for use on large areas such as parking lots and airport runways to remove snow and other debris therefrom, and more particularly to improvements to allow for the segmenting and automatic folding of a pusher, and to aspects resulting in reduced cost of manufacturing.
The present invention is an improved, folding plow for use on large, generally flat areas such as parking lots and airport runways, referred to herein as a xe2x80x9cpusher.xe2x80x9d
A xe2x80x9cpusherxe2x80x9d is generally wider than a snow plow used on streets and roads, and includes sides extending forward from the mold board to assure material being pushed (e.g., snow, water, debris, sludge, etc.) remains in front of the pusher, and is not pushed to the side as is done by conventional plows. Preferably mounted on the bucket of, or otherwise attached to, a front end or wheel loader (its ordinary operating position), most pushers cannot be safely transported from one site to another while attached to the loader. In order to use such a plow at more than one site, it must be transported from place to place on an equipment trailer or flatbed truck.
Heretofore, a number of patents and publications have disclosed plows, the relevant portions of which may be briefly summarized as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,268 to Waterman, issued Apr. 26, 1977, teaches an apparatus for grooming snow that is attachable to flat bed vehicles provided with hydraulic power. The center section of the snow compactor is pivotally secured to the vehicle. The ends of the outermost plow sections (wings 21) are capable of being rotated upwardly by hydraulic means for transportation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,609 to Curtis, issued Feb. 9, 1988, discloses a scraper with a medial blade member and pivotally connected later wing blade members (28). When desired to scrape material, the wing members are angled in the direction toward the mass to be accumulated. The wing members are moved to a desired angle by manipulation of hydraulic control valve associated with hydraulic cylinders that move the wings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,363 to Boutrais et al., issued Oct. 25, 1988, teaches an apparatus for use on a pusher vehicle to clear, collect and transport objects lying on the ground. Pivoting side walls (3) are opened and closed relative to the rear wall by a hydraulic mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,618 to Niemela et al., issued Jun. 17, 1997, is directed to an adjustable wing plow for moving snow and other materials. As depicted in FIG. 25, a hydraulic system is employed to control the configuration of the plow, and adjustable wings, at any time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,318 Daniels, issued Aug. 12, 1997, discloses a pusher blade with pivotable end extensions. The pivotally connected blades may be stored in a blade storage position along the back side of the adjoining main or central blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,755, issued to Michael P. Weagley on Mar. 10, 1998 and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, teaches a pusher including a blade with horizontal and vertical reinforcing channels, a reversible rubber edge fastened to the blade and extending below its bottom edge, and a side plate extending forward from each end of the blade. Side plates each include a removable wear shoe with inclined ramps for sliding contact on the ground surface. Upper and lower rows of posts extend rearward from the blade to form a slot for insertion of a front end loader bucket.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,444 to Desmarais, issued Oct. 13, 1998, discloses a snow blade with tiltable lateral wing blade that is hinged so as to take an inclination forward or rearward of the main blade.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a foldable apparatus for pushing material, including: an upstanding central blade; means for attaching the pushing apparatus to a vehicle used for moving the pushing apparatus; left and right end blades; left and right hinges for pivotally connecting the respective left and right end blades with the corresponding ends of said central blade for movement relative to said central blade between open positions substantially in line with said central blade, and folded positions forward of and substantially normal to said central blade; a rubber edge removably fastened to each of said central, left end and right end blades and extending along and below the bottom edge thereof; a vertical side wall extending forward at a right angle from the outer end of each of said end blades, said side walls each including a removable longitudinal runner along the bottom of said wall, said runners having inclined front and rear ramp surfaces for sliding contact on a ground surface, said runners effective to provide clearance space under the bottom edges of said blades; and locking means to lock said end blades in said open positions and in said folded positions.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a material pushing apparatus, including: an upstanding left blade; an upstanding right blade; a mounting bracket for pivotally interconnecting the left and right blades, said mounting bracket including an upper row of posts projecting horizontally rearward from said central blade and a lower row of posts projecting horizontally rearward from said central blade so as to form a slot therebetween for removable insertion of a bucket to lift and push said apparatus, said left and right end blades pivotally connected to said mounting bracket for movement relative thereto between an open position wherein the left and right blades are substantially linearly aligned, and a folded position wherein the left and right blades are brought forward of and nearly normal to said mounting bracket; a rubber edge removably fastened to each of said left and right blades and extending along and below the bottom edge thereof; a vertical side wall extending forward at a right angle from the outer end of each of said left and right blades, said side walls each including a wear shoe removably mounted thereon, said wear shoes each including a bottom longitudinal runner with inclined front and rear ramp surfaces for making contact on a ground surface said, runners effective to provide clearance space under the bottom edges of said blades; and locking means to lock said end blades alternatively in said open positions and in said folded positions.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a material pushing apparatus, including: an upstanding first blade; an upstanding second blade; a hinge for pivotally interconnecting the first and second blades for movement relative thereto between an open position wherein the first and second blades are substantially linearly aligned, and a folded position wherein the left and right blades are brought forward of said hinge so as to form an acute angle between the first and second blades; a rubber edge removably fastened to each of said first and second blades and extending along and below the bottom edges thereof; a vertical side wall extending forward at a right angle from the outer end of each of said first and second blades, said side walls each including a wear shoe removably mounted thereon, said wear shoes each including a bottom longitudinal runner with inclined front and rear ramp surfaces for making contact on a ground surface said, runners effective to provide clearance space under the bottom edges of said blades; means, positioned adjacent a rear surface of at least one of said first and second blades, for mounting the apparatus, said mounting means including an upper row of posts projecting horizontally rearward from the rear surface and a lower row of posts projecting horizontally rearward from the rear surface so as to form a slot therebetween for removable insertion of a bucket to lift and push said apparatus and locking means to lock said first and second blades alternatively in the open position and in said folded position.
One aspect of the invention is based on the observation of problems with conventional snow and debris removal equipmentxe2x80x94the inability to easily transport the equipment from one location to another.
This aspect is based on the discovery of a technique that alleviates these problems by providing one or more hinges to allow the pusher to be folded for transportation, but to retain its rigidity in an open or operating condition.
This technique can be implemented, for example, by a central hinge or a pair of hinges for each of two side blades. A machine implementing the invention can include a pusher or similar device suitable for pushing material along a generally flat surface. The techniques described herein are advantageous because it is simple and inexpensive compared to other approaches. Moreover, the techniques described improve the functionality of the pusher, making it unnecessary to have a plurality of pushers located at nearby locations. The techniques of the invention are advantageous because they provide a range of alternative embodiments, each of which is useful in appropriate situations.